So, I played and finished Little Inferno recently. Boy, was it a FUN piece of art. This gem's intended to be a mini-game, and it does a really good job at that.
You start up the game, and after you select a profile for a playthrough, it throws you straight into the game. Then the screen shows you this fireplace, and some other HUD icons. That's it. The majority of Little Inferno is played there.
Here's the gameplay: you BUY stuff from a catalog, BURN them, get MONEY for that, and repeat. Told you it's simple. There are "combos" which you can attempt to complete, where you are to burn two or more specific items together.
Each item has a specific burning, uh, 'aftermath'. If you ignite a valkyrie doll, it starts singing opera and the whole screen is filled with rose petals falling from the sky/chimney. How cool is that? You could also toss the items around, which smashes them, or let the items interact with each other, i.e. dry ice cubes will freeze other items. Nice little details.
So yes, I spent 3-4 hours (could've been shorter had I not derped around the web while playing the game...) buying items, dragging them to the fireplace and burning them. "BUT ZE PLOT? WHERE IS ZE STORY?" Ohhh man, the game's pretty deep when it comes to that.
You are stuck facing a fireplace in the game, for the most part. At the end of the game, the fireplace explodes, and you are presented with a humanoid for you to control. You will have conversations with people and they will touch on things like capitalism, existentialism, ambitions and all those stuff. It's absolutely immense and heavy, for a game which I thought to be 'simple'.
Overall, it is a simple and fun game to play when you are loafing around and have some time to kill. They have good burning animations, burning sound effects and, well, it's just a really well-produced game, I'd say.
I bought the game during Steam Summer Sales for cheaps, which was about £2 I believe. I would pay £5 for it, but hey. You could also get it on iOS, allowing you to scare your friends or fellow neighbours with your pyromaniacal personality.
For a mini-game? I'll give it a 9/10. The game's fun, the whole thing's well-produced and not as shallow as it appears to be. Go, go get it.
After all the trouble that people had to go through, and now we have a bunch of self-important, insa-... Wait, let's get through this.
So, there are a bunch of people who are DEMANDING the return of previous Xbone DRM policies, i.e. the 24-hour online check-ins and all sort of other bullshit. This bunch deem the original Xbone to be the future of consoles, and the way forward for the industry.
Let me say this right now - you people are insane.
The Internet was at one point filled with people raging around in analysing the immense failure that is the old Xbone, and you somehow managed to forego all that. Really. Your eyes are only set on the family sharing nonsense, WHICH WE KNOW would be taken down eventually. You keep talking nonsense about cloud computing, Gaikai's forte... which Sony owns. Why haven't they pushed it? Oh well, maybe because... They know it's not a whole lot of hoopla? Ask any tech geek. Ask them about the potential of this whole "cloud computing" bullshit that Microsoft is trying to sell.
*sigh*
Look. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, fair game, but can you really say objectively that the pros far outweigh the cons, in the case of the old Xbone? I agree to a certain extent that the ideology that is the old Xbone, in some form of shape or manner, is the future of console gaming. Thing is though, the market isn't ready. Consumers aren't ready for it. Look at the bunch of pirates. Look at them. No, not yet.
I am not going to get an Xbone, even after they went back on their original policies. Do you think others are going to get the Xbone if this petition is passed? Hell no. Microsoft will receive a shitload of pre-order cancellations. You think they'll do it?
By the way, stop accusing PS/PC users of this heinous crime. We really couldn't care less, Microsoft dug their own grave far too deep for us to meddle anyway. Also, if you are a self-important tech geek who is overtaken by the urge to "push tech", and thus are pushing for this petition, please hide yourself. You don't want angry people to be coming after you, do ya?
*SIGH*
I don't know man... I am tired. Spacing out a little. This piece of news is really... wow. Just, wow.
WELP! The customer is always right, even if that means they are stripping others' rights as consumers!
I was reading an article written about Ryse: Son of Rome, an exclusive title for the Xbone. You can find the article here. I'll put up a direct link to the video as well.
I took a look into things, and I got to thinking, is this game going to be any good?
In the article, Kotaku mentioned that Crytek spoke to GameReactor about their intention behind the game. The concept of "mashing to mastery" can be demeaning to gamers who take games seriously, but honestly, I think this is a very nice concept. It can be daunting for new gamers to experience this fun we have, especially when everything looks difficult. This game, while looking graphically remarkable and offering intense action, can be played by complete beginners.
Really, it isn't that hard. I analysed the video, and found that I don't even need to look at the prompts to know what I'm doing. Keep in mind however, this is probably the "intro" level, which in games means the easiest level. Since the gameplay is trying to showcase their combat system, let's talk about combat.
You get dropped off shore and the demo starts there (by the way, a huge thing smacking in like that might cause someone to loop in and out of consciousness instead of the whole pinging sound (WAY too overused). The protagonist encounters barbarians. Here's what I saw:
Protagonist slashes once or twice.
Prompt appears.
Player goes into QTE (Quick Time Event), and needs to input correct buttons to slay the enemy.
Protagonist continues his conquest.
Really, really simple, right? The combat is EXTREMELYshallow. Now, I am going to break it down, without judging, so just hear me out.
Granted that this is probably the intro "level", you are not going to enter into some difficult fights, which might explain the ease of weakening enemies enough to enter QTE. One or two slashes put enemies into a weak state. Blocking with your shield staggers your enemy.
All enemies who are weak enough will have ONE button prompt appear above their heads, "B". Look through the whole thing, "B" is the sole button used for entering into QTE. People might have referenced the God of War series after seeing this.
Then, the player enters into QTE, right? I'll break you in on a secret - you don't need to look at the button prompt. Just look at your character. *SHOCK*
No, really.
If the protagonist is poised to strike with his shield, press "Y".
If the protagonist is poised to strike with his sword, press "X".
There, I've done it. I unravelled the mystery of the game. Thank you everybody. Goodbye.
No, come back. See, the "A" button is, I believe, used exclusively for interacting with things. "LB" is for issuing commands to your troops and to look around, whereas "RB" is for actions during events.
That's what I have gathered so far from the demo.
To those who are drawing comparisons with God of War, you have every right to do so, but mind you that this game is painstakingly dumbed down to accommodate a larger range of players, if they wish to play it. If you belittle God of War, I believe you must have played it in a casual manner, in which case I prompt you to take on the more challenging difficulties. Ryse is a lot easier than God of War. I just broke down its QTE into simple bits, and I think I can pretty much take on the game without any challenges.
Anyway, back to talking.
The combat is really, really SHALLOW. I cannot stress that enough. The grace period you have to block an enemy's attack is really long. The QTE is awfully simplistic, more so than God of War's. You do not seem to get punished enough for being bad at the game, such as allowing an enemy to circle around your back or timing your javelin tosses badly. No, really. The enemy ONLY hits you once if he gets behind you, with no conceivable damage whatsoever. Doing badly when you are in the phalanx formation punishes your soldiers, instead of failing you (game over). Really, just, yeah.
Crytek is appealing to a larger consumer base, make no mistake about that. They want to appeal to casual gamers and non-gamers alike, by combining other studios' recipe for success. What do I mean by this?
Naughty Dog's cinematic experience for gamers (Uncharted, The Last of Us)
Activision's heart-pumping action (Call of Duty)
Santa Monica Studio's shot at epic games (God of War - QTE's included too!)
In return, we get an extremely simplistic game. No challenge whatsoever. Don't expect to be filled with ecstasy after defeating an opponent. You won't.
As a dedicated gamer, I am rather disappointed at this. Of course, Crytek delivers great visuals, yet again, but at what cost? The gameplay? Was it worth it? I will wait for players' response when they have actually played the game. Truth be told, I'm not expecting much, and neither should you.
Well, I've been playing a lot of LoL, as previously stated. I'm getting rather good at jungler Udyr, which is fun to play. He's versatile, and suits my style. Overall, lots of fun with him. I get quite a lot of good games, but also bad games.
One thing that ties both games together is the fact that, laners like to blame junglers, for NO apparent reason.
I'll start as a laner's POV. The lane is the place where I farm. I have to guard it, and push back the enemies' advance as best as I can. If they have the advantage, I should be more defensive. Basic strategy here, nothing too complicated.
Where does a jungler come in? If I am being pushed, and I need my jungler's help, I ask for it. Fair game. If I have the advantage, I don't get too cocky and push in, as it could result in exposing my lane to ganks (enemy jungler or laners coming in to assist). If my jungler has a setup to dive (all-in assault), I push more. Really, really basic stuff here.
From a jungler's POV, I check on my team's lanes often, as I try to clear jungle monsters for gold. I look at the condition of lanes, and assume where the enemy jungler might appear, and perhaps setup a counter-gank or take away his jungle's gold. Essentially, I try to help my team's laners gain the advantage, bit by bit.
THE PROBLEM IS - there are amateurs mistaking the role of a jungler.
If you are playing in a lane, you are not ENTITLED to monopolise the jungler. You play your lane, and you play your lane good. If you suck, not because of the inherent differences between champions but because of your stupid decisions, junglers have the right to refuse in helping you. If your jungler is helping other lanes, DON'T act like a spoiled child and demand his help IMMEDIATELY. Don't you dare choose stupid champions with bad match-ups and blame your jungler for not helping you. If you are an idiot, you pay the price for it yourself. It doesn't take long to do research on the subject matter, your predecessors have laid out a path for you.
If you are a jungler, HELP your weak lanes. Don't be an idiot and keep farming away. If your lanes lose, you will lose the game. Lanes are more profitable than the jungle, so help the money-makers make it big. Don't stick to your pre-made friend. You think ties will help you win the game? It's a 5-man team. If the other 3 members are not getting help, you sure as hell won't be winning.
In conclusion? This is a rant. Don't be an idiot. Look up what you should do and should not do. ALWAYS check your map. Spend 10 minutes to look up champions. That 10 minutes won't kill you, but your ignorance can virtually cause deaths. Don't be a douche.
So, what's the problem? Well, as with every other community, there are just a ton of scrubs trying to spoil the game, AKA trolls. And then you get people who are just so bad at the game, they shouldn't really be playing.
"Whoa man, that's so unfriendly. Surely games are meant for everyone?"
Let me reiterate. Yes, games are meant to be played, and can be played by everyone. However, there are "divisions", so to speak. Take the whole PG rating for example. Some contents are not meant for the younger minds, whereas some are directed at kids, which adults might find too whimsical for their tastes.
Everything has a "dividing line" somewhere, in some form or manner. In League, the games are divided into ranked games and normal/casual games. In ranked games, you are there to climb a 'ladder' to reach a higher rank. Simple. In casual games, you play for fun.
So what's the problem?
You get IDIOTS who roll into ranked games with their subpar skills and attempt to play. You get trolls who fail to comprehend the positions or roles which they have taken. You get numbskulls who go for a weird customisation of character and goes on to say "believe, have faith, surely we can do this". Groundless. Baseless. Foolish. Total waste of what little intellect they have in them.
Is it that hard to Google for information on what you should/should not do? Is it that difficult to find feedback on forums for whatever stupid customisation you are doing, BEFORE you rush into a game to do it? Is it that difficult to practise instead of blaming everyone else?
Look, I am an invested gamer. I look up builds, I check out mechanics, practise them and attempt to figure things out. I like doing those kind of stuff. Guess what? Tons of other gamers out there are like that. If you waltz into a ranked game with a half-assed attitude and attempt to mess around, not only are you belittling the efforts they have put in, you are making the game a toxic one.
"Oh dude come on, surely you are exaggerating! It's just a game!"
No. See, it is this kind of attitude I'm talking about. If you have ever tried hard at something, you would know what I'm talking about. Sports Festival in schools? You get some idiots from class who mess around. Planned an outing with friends? There will always be an idiot who comes late and wrecks shit. GROUP PROJECTS OR ASSIGNMENTS??? Need I say more?
"But dude, come on, those are more important!"
Who are you to give value judgement to what is more important and what's not? Outing with friends? Just a chill activity, don't be so stern. Let your friend waste your time. Sports Festival? It's just for fun. Who cares if you are serious about it? Group assignments? It doesn't weigh as heavily as exams, don't be too serious. Yeah. What now?
TL;DR?
Let me sum it up. All I'm asking for is a proper attitude in playing the game. Know that there are people out there who are rather serious, and are playing to win. If you failed, admit your mistakes. If you are still not that good in the game, practise and look for tips. Don't blame your team for 'flaming' you when you make amateur mistakes. Please, take gaming seriously.
